


Case File #1: Mewtwo

by jashin_senpai



Series: Pokemon Cryptid Hunters Incorporated [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Cryptid Hunting, Gen, Local Politics, Mystery, Overthinking the Pokéverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-16 12:06:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17549387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jashin_senpai/pseuds/jashin_senpai
Summary: When Red returns from his journey after passing on his title as champion, his mother insists he join Kanto's council of representatives in Professor Oak's stead.Things are going well until a storm threatens Cerulean City and something powerful is awakened. It's up to Red to do some digging into Kanto's sordid history, as well as face some of his own past demons, in order to stop it from wreaking destruction on the region.





	1. The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I've spent a full decade overthinking the Pokémon universe, if you can believe it. This series serves as a headcanon dump more than anything else.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a storm, and Red runs into some old faces.

Regional politics, as Red had discovered, were _bullshit_.

His foolish past self had actually been relieved when the kid had finally beaten him and claimed the title of champion. He’d headed down from Mt Silver fully intending to take a long and well-deserved break, and had promptly been enlisted as Pallet Town’s representative in the Kanto Regional Council.

“Samuel’s been running himself half to death trying to run the lab and participate in the council” his mother had told him, mournfully. “And there’s no one better qualified than you!”

“ _Samuel_ ” he had replied, but he did say yes.

Being on the council mostly meant helping out around Pallet Town and solving small local problems, and occasionally pitching in to help with larger issues around Kanto. He appreciated that aspect of the job.

What he didn’t appreciate were the plethora of long and often tumultuous meetings with the other representatives.

The conference room in which he was currently seated might have been located in one of the most expensive hotels in Saffron city, but it was like every other conference room in the region. Dull, grey, lifeless, and worst of all, completely airless.

Most of the other representatives seated around the table looked as uncomfortable as Red felt. Lance was grimacing as he pulled at his high collar, and Misty was fanning herself frantically. Fuji looked as though he would keel over at any second. Even the head of the Parks and Rangers Association was sweating.

“Where on earth is Sabrina?” Karen asked peevishly. “She’s the one who called this meeting so urgently, and now she doesn’t even have the decency to turn up on time!”

“I’m sure she has her reasons” Koga replied sharply.

Karen scowled, looking so much like her late grandmother that Red instinctively shifted back in his seat.

“If Lorelai managed to get here all the way from the Sevii Islands on time, she has no excuse” she muttered.

“Patience is a virtue!” Green singsonged from across the table.

His presence always made Red feel incredibly awkward. They’d barely spoken two full sentences to each other since Red had joined the council.

“So is keeping your trap shut” Karen snapped.

Green opened his mouth to retort, but was thankfully interrupted by the entrance of Sabrina, who was flanked closely by Will.

“Thank you all for coming here on such short notice” she announced curtly, striding to the head of the table. Will followed, pulling out a large chart from the case he had slung over his shoulder and pinning it to the wall behind her.

“Another vision?” Koga asked gravely.

“I’m afraid so” she replied. “Three nights ago when I was meditating, the image of a terrible storm came to me. I have since cast multiple auguries to confirm what I saw, and I can tell you with certainty – the storm will hit Cerulean Cape tomorrow night.”

Misty went white.

“How bad are we talking?” she asked.

Sabrina indicated the chart behind her. “Will and I worked on this together. It shows where we foresee the damage will be most severe.”

“Looks to me like the southern half of the city will escape the worst of it” Blaine said, squinting at the paper.

“Yes” Will replied quietly. “Unfortunately, the north will not be so lucky. We expect to lose the bridge entirely, I’m afraid.”

Silence fell over the room.

“Can’t we reinforce it or something?” Green asked.

“Not in time” Sabrina replied, flatly.

“Then we’ll have to evacuate everyone above the bridge as soon as possible” Misty said. “And clear the port. I also need volunteers to sandbag the northern seawall.”

“I can take charge of the seawall reinforcements” Brock said, reaching over to pat Misty’s hand reassuringly. “Erika, do you think you could assist me?”

“It would be my pleasure” said Erika. “I’ll send for help right away.”

“I’ll lead the evacuations” Lance announced. “Green, Lorelai, I need you to arrange backup and transportation. You as well, Red – we’ll need all the strong surfers and flyers we can get.”

“On it” Green answered, nonchalant.

Lorelai nodded, and said “I’ll call in the Sevii coastguard as well.”

“Excellent. Fuji-san, could you and Koga take responsibility for sheltering the evacuees?”

“We can use the Gym as a temporary shelter” Misty put in. “The school as well.”

“I can arrange food, bedding, and medical supplies” Fuji replied.

“I’ll have a register made up as well, so we can ensure everyone is accounted for” Koga added. “I’ll need your help with that, Misty.”

“Of course.”

“And Sabrina and Will can help us coordinate” Lance finished. “Now. About clearing the port.” He looked meaningfully over at Surge, who frowned.

“I’ll help sure enough, but I think you’re putting too much faith in superstition” he grumbled. “We’ve had storms on this coast before, bad ones too, and we’ve always got through.”

Sabrina’s lips thinned.

“Oh yes, I must have forgotten your… _vast_ history in Kanto” she said coldly.

“I’ve been leader of Vermillion longer than you’ve been alive, girlie.”

“And our clan has resided in the area for centuries” Will replied calmly. “There are some storms that only come once in a hundred years – this is one of them. We must be prepared.”

“Hear, hear!” said Blaine. “We must band together like we did when old Cinnabar went up. Don’t you worry about that port Misty, Surge and I will get it sorted quick smart.”

“Thank you all for your generosity” Misty said, bowing her head gracefully.

“I’ve got a question” the head ranger said, raising a hand. “How much flooding can we expect in the local cave networks? Will Mt Moon have to be closed?”

Will and Sabrina exchanged a look.

“We haven’t foreseen any major issues with flooding in Mt Moon” Will said. “It might be wise to close it for the duration of the storm and keep an eye out for slips all the same, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“We’ll send a call for extra staff, then” the head ranger said.

Karen nodded. “Umbreon and I can patrol the area if need be” she said. “I’ll see if I can get Bruno to help as well.” She levelled Sabrina with a glare. “You should have invited him today.”

“Bruno is no longer a member of this council” Koga said curtly.

“You know as well as I do, he wouldn’t respond to any invitation from me” Sabrina added.

“And whose fault is _that_?”

The head ranger sighed. “Now is no time for squabbling. What about the flood risk to Cerulean Cave?”

Will glanced over at Sabrina again, and said “Well, river levels in the area are all expected to rise significantly. That includes the subterranean river in Cerulean Cave. It’s natural to expect flooding.”

Surge snorted.

“You mean you don’t _know_?” Karen said incredulously.

“We expect there will be flooding and believe the cave should be closed as a precautionary measure. Isn’t that all the information you need?” Sabrina said stiffly, but Red noticed that she couldn’t quite meet Karen’s gaze.

“No, hang on! You’re hiding something and I want to know exactly what it is you’re not telling us” Karen challenged.  

Tension lay thick and cloying in the room. Koga was frowning heavily at Karen and Erika cleared her throat demurely – but pointedly – in her direction, but Brock and Surge were eyeing Sabrina suspiciously.

 Fuji whispered something sharply to Blaine beside him. Blaine paused for a second, his expression unreadable, and then clapped his hands together loudly, drawing the attention of all the council members toward him.

“A flooded cave is a flooded cave, isn’t that right?” he said, addressing the head ranger. “Don’t know what more can be said about it, so why don’t we get movi-”

Lance raised his hand and cut him off.

“Sabrina” he said, regarding her carefully. “Your talents are well-known and respected. We appreciate everything you have done to warn us of the upcoming danger. But if there is anything more you can tell us, the council needs to know.”

Sabrina cleared her throat uncomfortably.

“I must confess… there is something about Cerulean Cave that interferes with our psychic abilities. It is impossible for us to get a clear view of it.”

Her eyes hardened as she looked up.

“I will say this. We may not be able to get a clear vision of the cave, but we have felt a very strong sense of foreboding surrounding it. I fear that the storm itself may not be the only danger.”

***

The emergency measures went off without a hitch, which Red thought was a testament to the true character of the council. Despite all their squabbling and petty rivalries, they were extremely capable when the situation required it.

Red had spent most of the day helping to ferry people across from the northern end of Cerulean Cape, with the aid of Charizard and Blastoise. Lance was there with his Dragonite, and Lorelai with her Lapras, and Green with his Gyarados and Pidgeot, alongside the local coastguard and backup from the Sevii Islands.

Red had originally questioned why the evacuees couldn’t just use the bridge Will had predicted would be destroyed in the storm, but when he saw the sheer volume of people and Pokémon they had to get across, he understood. The bridge was far too narrow to accommodate so much traffic all at once and might have resulted in people getting stranded in the north. Instead, they had designated the bridge as a thoroughfare for wild Pokémon fleeing the impending storm and had concentrated on evacuating the residents by water.

“Wonder who designed that bloody bridge in the first place” Green had said to him at one point. “Can’t be smart, having only one way out of the northern cape.”

Red had just kinda gaped at him for a few seconds, surprised that Green was talking to him so casually.

“Uh… yeah, that’s not ideal” he finally managed.

“The Kuchiba clan seem pretty certain of their predictions, so it sounds like there will be ample opportunity for improvement after the storm” Lorelai added wryly.

Green snorted. “Oh yeah, those predictions. We’re almighty seers! We can tell you exactly which points of infrastructure will be so much as scratched during a storm, but heaven forbid you want information about the cave next door. It’s too spooooooooky.” He wiggled his fingers for emphasis.

Red looked uneasily over the water toward said cave. The wind was starting to pick up already, but he could make out a slim silver-haired figure and a pair of rangers outside the entrance through the spray and sea foam.

“Karen and the Rangers Association don’t seem to be taking chances” he said quietly. “They’re closing it off as we speak.”

“Yeah, ‘cause they don’t want anyone to get trapped during the storm, obviously. Not ‘cause there’s some, I don’t know, _monster_ in there or something.”

“There are some very strong Pokémon living there” said Lorelai, but she sounded doubtful.

“Nothing that should scare a trainer like Sabrina” Green scoffed. “What about you, Red? You believe in the Cerulean Cave kaiju?”

A memory flashed before Red of _that_ encounter. A pair of glowing eyes in the darkness, and then a force of unimaginable strength sweeping over him. It had knocked his entire team out within seconds and left him suffocating, gasping for air and unable to do anything but seize his Poké Balls and run.

He swallowed.

“Like Lorelai said, there’s some strong Pokémon in there” he hedged.

Green looked at him kind of strangely, but luckily Lance showed up right at that moment to berate them for slacking off.

***

By the time they finished evacuating the cape it had already started to rain, fat drops of water splashing heavily around them. The four of them made their way to the gym where Koga and Fuji had set up accommodation for the council members to shelter out the storm.

The evening was spent helping Fuji’s team of volunteers prepare and serve dinner for the evacuees. Misty walked among them, checking to make sure all her townspeople were safe and comfortable. Red noticed that she could greet every single one by name. He also noticed that Green was tracking her movements, looking wistful.

He gathered up the courage to ask him about it after they had turned in for the night. The two of them had ended up on adjacent camp beds, and it reminded Red of their childhood sleepovers.

“Just kinda jealous of how much they love her” he answered. “You can tell they really respect her, the way they look to her for guidance.”

Red didn’t say anything in reply, even though he was dying to ask Green what it was like being the Viridian leader.

Green studied his face. “You can ask, you know” he said, sounding amused.

“You don’t feel… loved?” he said.

“Mmmm. I mean. I’m not disrespected or anything. “Tolerated” is a good way to describe it.”

“Why? You’re a good leader, from what I’ve heard” Red said, bluntly.

“Oh, I am” Green replied, with no pretense at modesty. “Definitely better than a mob boss who wasn’t even present most of the time, which is why they accepted me in the first place. But Giovanni was still one of the Tokiwa clan. Me, I’m just some Masara upstart.”

“Right” Red answered, awkwardly.

Green shrugged. “They’ll get used to me eventually.”

Outside, the thunder rumbled ominously overhead.

Green had gone so quiet that had Red begun to wonder if he had fallen asleep, but then he suddenly spoke.

“It’s been weird, having you on the council.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing” Green said hastily. “ ‘S just weird, is all.”

“Mmmm. For me too. Weird, I mean.”

“Mmmm.”

Green suddenly shifted and turned over to face the wall. Neither of them said anything else for the rest of the night.

***

A week later, Red was sitting in the cafeteria of the Oak Pokémon Research Lab when he unexpectedly came across a familiar face.

“Red? It _is_ you, isn’t it?”

“Leaf?” he replied, hesitantly.

She beamed.

“That’s right! Gosh, I haven’t seen you in – what has it been, four years?”

“Something like that.”

“Right after you became champion, wasn’t it? Time really does fly!” She indicated the seat opposite Red. “D’you mind if I sit here?”

“Not at all! Sorry, I should have offered.”

“I’ll forgive it” she grinned, shrugging off her grass-stained lab coat and draping it over the chair before taking a seat. “So, how does it feel to be free?”

He made a face.

“It was great at first, but then mom pushed me into becoming the town representative.”

“Oh, yikes” she laughed. “Hard work, then?”

“You have no idea.”

“No offense, but I really can’t imagine you as the political type” she said.

““An Upstanding Member Of Society”, as mom puts it” he said, complete with air quotes. “Some of it, like, the actual helping people is great. It’s dealing with the other reps that gets a bit, you know.”

Her expression turned mischievous.

“What’s it like working with Green?”

He groaned.

“Change the subject. Please” he begged.

She laughed, but seemingly took pity on him.

“I met your successor” she said. “Seems like a great kid.”

“Absolutely. Can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.”

She paused.

“ _Horrifically_ strong.”

“ _Brutal_.”

“Totally unfair. We have _got_ to find out what they’re putting in the water in Johto. Our regional pride is at stake! You were the first Kanto champion in what, seven years?”

Red shook his head. “Longer. Lance succeeded his grandfather. The last champion from Kanto was Agatha, almost three decades ago.”

“And you were dethroned after just three years” she grinned. “Have you thought about rechallenging the title?”

“I… considered it.”

“In other words, you don’t want to.”

He lowered his voice. “Honestly, I… I wasn’t enjoying it, by the end. People stop treating you like a human being. Half of them were too scared to challenge me, and the other half acted like I was the supreme authority on basically everything. Maybe some people like that kind of power, but it’s not for me.”

She studied him for a long moment. Red could guess what she was thinking, kind of wanted to dare her to say it out loud.

_Did you lose on purpose, Red?_

In the end she didn’t, just propped her chin up on her hand and asked, “So what brings you to the lab today?”

“Professor Oak wanted me to report back about how the council’s dealing with the aftermath of that storm in Cerulean.”

“I thought he was no longer a representative?”

“He’s not, but you know how he is. Just won’t let go.”

Leaf laughed. “He can’t delegate worth shit. He’ll like, assign someone a project and then he’ll just hover, and hover, and end up doing half of it himself.”

“So you’re still working as a researcher then?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you around the lab since I’ve been back.”

“I’m in the field a lot” she explained. “Most of my research is a lot more practical than what the other members here do. My latest project has been studying the gender ratios of shiny Pokémon in a wild Spearow population west of Fuchsia City.”

“Sounds intensive.”

“I enjoyed it, but I’m just wrapping up now. I need to find another project soon, and hopefully it’s something with better funding!”

A young man with a white lab coat and thick bottle bottom glasses approached their table and cleared his throat.

“Excuse me, Leaf?” he said nervously. “The board are ready for you to present your findings now.”

“Oh! Thanks, Ichiro” she exclaimed, leaping up from her seat and grabbing her own coat. “Sorry to run out on you like this, Red.”

“Don’t worry about it” he replied.

“I’ll tell you what – why don’t we catch up for lunch or something next week? I’ll call you after my presentation and we can set a time.”

“Sounds good. Good luck with your presentation.”

His Pokégear rang not five minutes later. A little bemused, Red fished it out of his pocket and answered without bothering to check the ID.

“Hello?” he asked.

To his surprise, it was not Leaf on the other end, but Lance.

“Red? Something has come up. We need the council to assemble in Cerulean City as soon as possible.”


	2. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the council is in trouble, and Red inserts his foot firmly into his mouth.

Charizard ducked through the low cloud and Red finally caught a glimpse of Cerulean Cape.

He couldn’t help the involuntary noise that clawed its way from his throat.

When he left the city a week ago, the rebuilding process had been well underway. Toppled trees and powerlines had all been cleared, broken windows and roofs patched, and the rubble of Nugget Bridge neatly piled on the side of the harbour and ready for salvage.

Now the lower half of the harbour looked as though a bomb had hit it. Boats had been pulled free from their moorings and lay smashed against the rocks, amid the remaining debris from the bridge. The temporary ferry terminal – hastily constructed as a means of transport across the harbour while the bridge was rebuilt – was little more than a smoking crater.

He directed Charizard to land in front of the Gym. Ordinarily he might not have chanced landing so close to the centre of town, but the city seemed eerily quiet. There were no bystanders to get in the way.

Inside the Gym, he was greeted by an extremely sombre-looking Fuji.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Red” he said. “Those who have already arrived are gathering upstairs.”

“Thank you” he replied, ducking his head respectfully.

He wanted to ask what had happened, but Fuji had clearly given him a dismissal and Red didn’t dare to pester the elder further.

Instead he made his way up the stairs to the upper floor. The stone was spotted with salt residue, probably from the giant pool downstairs. He had a sudden image of Misty dashing excitedly up and down the stairs of her Gym in her swimsuit without bothering to stop and dry off, and had to smile despite himself.

He sincerely hoped that whatever had happened in Cerulean City yesterday, she hadn’t been hurt.

The sound of hushed voices led him down the upstairs corridor to the room opposite the one where he’d slept the night of the storm.

He didn’t know how many people he’d been expecting. Lance was there, of course, speaking quietly with Will. Misty was sitting on a low sofa with Blaine, who was consoling her. Green was hunched in an armchair opposite them, and Surge was lurking in a corner with a dark-haired man that Red initially assumed to be Brock. When the man turned at the sound of Red’s arrival however, he was surprised to see that it was actually Bruno.

And that was it.

Lance looked up and nodded briefly in greeting. Red returned the nod, and then hovered awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do. Green motioned at him impatiently to sit in the empty chair beside him, and Red, startled, did so without thinking twice.

“You don’t have to look so surprised every time I talk to you, you know” Green said tightly.

“I – where is everyone?” Red blurted out.

“Brock and Erika are on their way” he replied. “Lorelai too, but she’s been held up by the rough weather.”

“The remnants of that storm’ve moved toward the islands” Surge grunted.

“The others…?”

“I’m not sure. Lance said he’d tell us when everyone was here.” Green bit his lip. “Whatever it is, it must be serious.”

“The thing in the cave…” Red trailed off.

Will looked up sharply.

“What do you know about–” he began, but was cut off by the sound of loud footsteps in the outside hallway.

“Misty! I got here as soon as I could!” Brock cried as he entered the room. He gathered her up in a tight hug and she buried her face in his shoulder.

“What’s going on?” he demanded.

“We’ll discuss it as soon as Erika arrives” Lance said. “Lorelai just messaged me to say that the ferry service from the Sevii Islands has been cancelled altogether. She suggested surfing here with Lapras, but–”

“No!” Misty cried, a little hysterically. “We can’t afford to lose anyone else!”

“That’s more or less what I told her” Lance said. “We’ll have to make do without her until the weather clears.”

The nine of them sat there in tense silence. Red shrank back in his chair, mind reeling, trying to avoid Green and Will’s suspicious gazes.

After what felt like an eternity, two more sets of footsteps echoed outside. Erika opened the door and entered the room, one arm outstretched to support the elderly Fuji behind her.

She guided him to sit in the remaining armchair beside Red, and Brock immediately jumped to his feet and offered her his place on the sofa next to Misty and Blaine.

“I apologise sincerely for the delay” she said as she settled herself gracefully onto the seat. “The roads leading out of Cerulean are extremely busy.”

“People are fleeing the city” Misty said, almost inaudibly.

“We’re all here now. Are you finally going to tell us what’s going on, Lance?” Green asked.

Lance cleared his throat.

“Bruno, why don’t you start from the beginning?” he said.

Bruno stepped forward.

“Two days ago” he began, “Karen and a few of the rangers went into Cerulean Cave to check the extent of the flooding. Inside, they encountered a being of… unfathomable power.”

Studying the faces around him, Red noted that the only ones who were reacting with any kind of surprise were Green, Brock, Erika, and Surge. Misty was tearful, Lance and Will sombre, but Blaine and Fuji just looked grimly resigned.

“The creature attacked them” Bruno continued. “Karen and the rangers were forced to flee the cave. Most of the rangers got away with only minor injuries – superficial cuts and bruises – but Karen was not so lucky. She is currently hospitalized in Saffron City.”

“Will she be OK?” Green asked.

“Her injuries are not life threatening” Bruno replied. “Some broken bones and a concussion. But she will need several weeks to recover.”

“It gets worse” Lance added, grimly. “From Karen’s description, the creature that attacked them was an extremely powerful Psychic-type Pokémon. When Sabrina heard this, she entered the cave herself with the intention of subduing and capturing it. She was… unsuccessful.”

“She always did act without thinking” Surge said, shaking his head.

Red thought it was very lucky that Koga was absent, or Surge would have gotten his head bitten off for that comment.

“So what happened next?” asked Green.

“The creature entered a berserker rage when she approached” Will said. “In desperation, she attempted to meld her mind with the creature’s, but it overpowered her. It emerged from the cave and destroyed the southern harbour. We were barely able to retrieve her body.”

Erika, who had gone very white, put her hand over her mouth.

“Is she…?” she asked.

“Physically she is fine” Will replied, “but her mental state…” He struggled to compose himself. “She appears to be in some kind of coma, or trance. She does not respond to our voices.”

“Please, may I see her?” said Erika. Her voice trembled.

“She’s down the hall, in the infirmary” Misty said. “Koga’s with her now.”

“Thank you” said Erika, as she stumbled from the room.           

“So… that’s our situation” said Lance. “The creature still roams Cerulean Cave. We cannot progress with the rebuilding of the bridge, and the remaining townspeople are at risk every day that thing still roams free. Two of our strongest members are out of commission, and another is stuck in the islands until the weather passes.” He ran a hand over his face. “I’ll be honest with you – I’m not sure how we can get through this.”

***

Red left the meeting feeling extremely subdued. Lance had eventually decided that there was nothing more they could do for the moment and that they should – with the exception of himself and Koga, who had Janine to lead in his stead – return to their respective towns.

“I’ll write to my grandfather” Lance had said. “Perhaps someone in Johto can help us. In the meantime, the best thing we can do is fulfil our duties.”

As Red traversed the salt-encrusted stairs, a hand suddenly gripped at his wrist. He gasped and would have plummeted headfirst if Green hadn’t tugged him back.

“Sorry” he said. “I, um, didn’t mean to startle you like that.”

“Well you _did_ ” Red retorted, snatching his arm out of Green’s hold.

“I need to talk to you.”

Red folded his arms and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“Not _here_ ” Green said, rolling his eyes. “Come with me.”

Red followed him warily outside, but balked when Green pulled out a Poké Ball and released his Pidgeot.

“What are you freaking out for? He can carry us both, no problem” he said, climbing on the bird’s broad back and outstretching a hand for Red to join him.

“That’s not my issue” Red mumbled.

“Just trust me, alright?” Green coaxed.

 _What possible reason would I have to trust you?_ Red thought, but comforted with the knowledge that he could almost certainly kick Green’s ass if he tried to kidnap him or something, he took his hand and settled himself on the Pidgeot.

Unfortunately, it turned out that Pidgeot flew faster and turned far more sharply than Charizard did. Red couldn’t help his involuntary noise of shock, or the way he instinctively grabbed onto Green’s shoulders and clung on for dear life.

Green made it ten times worse by laughing, of course.

“I thought you’d be used to this!” he called over his shoulder.

“Keep your eyes on where you’re going!” Red yelled back.

When they disembarked, Red had to take a few seconds for his head to stop spinning.

“Don’t tell me you get airsick” Green snorted. “You fly with your Charizard all the time.”

“Charizard doesn’t fly like a drunken stunt pilot” Red retorted.

He looked up at his surroundings.

“Uh, why are we in Saffron City?”

“We’re going to to see Karen, of course.”

Red stared at him, dumbfounded.

“But you _hate_ Karen” he said.

“No I don’t” said Green.

“Um, yes you do.”

Green snorted. “I have no idea where you got that idea from, but no, I don’t. We’re good friends, actually.”

“But you argue _all the time_!”

“Well, so do we. But that doesn’t make us not-friends.”

Red felt his brain short-circuit.

“Are you coming?” Green asked him. “You look like a Magikarp just standing there gaping like that, you know.”

By the time Red’s brain came back online, Green was already several metres ahead, and he had to jog to catch up.

“I wonder if Karen knows about what happened to Sabrina?” he mused.

“Are you going to tell me those two are secretly best friends too?” Red asked.

“Of course not.” Green looked perplexed. “Why would you think that?”

“You– We– Oh, never mind” Red huffed. “Let’s just get to the hospital.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they got to Saffron General, Green went to ask the receptionist where Karen was. Red hung back, observing the other visitors.

There was a girl over by the gift shop that caught his eye. She was clutching the hand of her much younger brother, who was clamouring for one of the shiny GET WELL balloons outside the shop. He tugged at her insistently, whining, but she didn’t react. When she looked up, Red saw that her eyes were bloodshot.

“It’s busy today” Green said, as he walked over to where Red was standing.

Red wondered how many people had been injured in yesterday’s attack. The little boy was screaming now, his cheeks red with exertion.

“Want balloon!” he howled. “Want mommy!”

“Red? Are you listening? Karen’s up on floor seven.”

“She’s gone, Yuuto” the girl snapped, yanking her hand free. “Do you understand? She’s not coming back.”

“Red?”

“I’m coming.”

He followed Green to the elevator, the boy’s screams still echoing through the reception. Green tapped the fingers of one hand against his arm nervously as they waited for the doors to open.

“I hate this place” he muttered.

“Nobody _likes_ hospitals” Red replied.

Green just looked at the floor and didn’t say anything. The elevator dinged and they crammed inside, along with two men in business suits, a tired-looking doctor, and a woman with an awkwardly large pushchair.

The elevator hummed through the floors, stopping twice to let people off or on. Finally, it stopped at the seventh floor and Red followed Green into a long, pale blue corridor.

“I think she’s down here” Green muttered, making a left turn. “Number fourteen?”

The door was half ajar when they arrived. Green knocked the wood softly, and Karen’s voice called “Come in.”

“Green, hello!” she smiled as they entered. “And Red too?”

She was sitting upright in the hospital bed. Her left arm was in a sling and her head was bandaged, but she seemed pretty coherent.

Green bent to hug her gently, making sure not to jostle her arm.

“Heard you bit off more than you could chew back there” he said.

Karen snorted.

“You should see the other guy” she said.

“I haven’t” Green said, “but Red here has.”

Karen sat bolt upright.

“You _have_?” she asked.

Red held up his hands.

“Whoah, I never said I saw anything” he exclaimed.

“You knew there was something in that cave though, didn’t you?” Green demanded.

“I–”

“Why didn’t you say anything, Red?” Karen asked.

“Look, I don’t know _what_ I saw! It felt more like a bad dream at the time.”

“So what happened?” Green asked. He and Karen both looked at Red expectantly.

“I was exploring the deeper tunnels in Cerulean Cave when I ran into… something. It had this awful, suffocating presence. Knocked my team out in seconds. I was lucky to escape.”

Karen nodded.

“That sounds like the thing I ran into. Felt like slamming into a brick wall.”

Green hummed thoughtfully.

“I wonder if that’s the powerful psychic presence Will spoke about?” he mused.

“Did they confirm it was a Psychic-type Pokémon, then?” Karen asked.

“Oh, did they ever. It knocked Sabrina flat on her ass” Green snorted.

Karen’s eyes widened.

“It did? Oh that makes me feel _so_ much better about getting my ass kicked” she said.

“Yeah, she got real cocky by the sound of it. She tried to mind control it and it did a number on her. She’s still unresponsive” Green replied.

“Shit, that’s two of us down then, isn’t it?”

Green shook his head.

“Three. Lorelai’s stuck in the islands until the storm passes.”

“ _Damn_ ” Karen said emphatically. “How’s Lance coping?”

“He’s got no clue what to do. Well, to be fair, the rest of us have no idea either.”

Karen tapped her fingers together thoughtfully.

“If only we knew more about it. How long ago did you encounter it, Red?”

“It was right after I became Champion” Red replied.

“So it’s inhabited the cave for at least three years. But then why hasn’t anyone else seen it?”

“Maybe nobody else lived to tell the tale” Green said ghoulishly.

Karen slapped his arm.

“Green! You sound just like Agatha-obaachan.”

“Well, she was my teacher for almost two years. She must have rubbed off on me” he grinned.

Red blinked in surprise.

“You trained with _Agatha_?”

Karen nodded.

“Yeah, he trained alongside me right up until she passed away.”

“Oh don’t worry about Red, he never has a clue what’s happening around him” Green said.

“Hey, I don’t– ” Red started to exclaim, but he was interrupted by a nurse who marched into the room and announced that visiting hours were over.

“Whoops, guess we’ve been read the riot act” Karen sighed. “I’ll see you later, Green. I should be released from the hospital within the next few days, but keep me posted if anything happens!”

“Of course. You need any help getting back?”

“Nah, Bruno said he’d drive me back to Lavender Town when I got released.”

“Alright, laters! Get better soon!”

“Later, Green! And you too, Red.”

***

“Agatha?” Red asked, when they had left the hospital.

“Yeah, she offered to train me after I failed my League challenge. Honestly, I probably owe my Gym leader position entirely to her.”

Red said nothing. Green studied his face for a second, frowning.

“You have a problem with it?” he asked.

“No. I’m just trying to figure out why she would offer.”

Green scowled.

“Oh gee, thanks. So I’m not worthy to be trained by one of the Elite Four, is that it?”

“No, that’s not it!” Red hastily backpedalled. “It’s just, didn’t she despise your grandfather?”

Green laughed, bitterly.

“It was mutual” he said. “So, funnily enough, when it turned out that Oak had a grandson he also despised, she took a shine to him. Me.”

“Oh… Green.” Red didn’t know what to say. “He doesn’t _despise_ you.”

“Like I said, you always were oblivious” Green said mockingly. “Doesn’t matter, Agatha was a better grandparent to me than the old man ever was. You don’t need to pity me.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, then.”

Green shrugged, calling his Pidgeot from its Poké Ball.

“Whatever. Smell ya, Red.”

And with that, he took off into the sky without looking back.


End file.
